Sextette (1978)

Overrated

Disappointment for a huge fan!

A different way of telling a story

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Timothy Dalton's greatest acting achievement. In his mid-thirties, Dalton kept a straight face as he promised his undying love to Mae West, in her mid-eighties. West looked great for an octogenarian, but not THAT good. West played the legendary Mae West with all the usual Mae Westisms, a litany of lusty sexual innuendos. A cornucopia of crazy cameos cracking corny jokes that might have been cute if West had only been 30 or 40 years younger. The central theme is that West is everyone's heart-throb, from teens to crotchety old Walter Pidgeon (who was still her junior!). Hard to buy. Some merit, some (emphasis SOME) humor, and bits of some of the song and dance routines deserve being parts of better movies, but no awards for this one.

Brash legendary old Hollywood star and sex symbol Marlo Manners (exuberantly played with deliciously racy panache by Mae West, who was pushing 80 at the time!) spends her honeymoon with her dashing sixth husband Sir Michael Barrington (a charming portrayal by handsome Timothy Dalton, who went on to play James Bond!) at a fancy hotel where all kinds of wacky hi-jinks transpire involving Marlo's former husbands, an international meeting of world leaders, and an Olympic team training in the gymnasium. Flatly directed by Ken Hughes from a stale script by Herbert Baker, this musical comedy outing plods along with a startling lack of vitality, but possesses a certain alarmingly horrid quality that's impossible to either dislike or resist; the strained screwball tone and endless array of tacky wink-wink, nudge-nudge bawdy innuendos are so awful that they're paradoxically awesome in their stupefying kitschiness (the outrageously abominable gay jokes are especially sidesplitting in their utter wrongness). The astonishing Hall of Shame Name cast fumble and stumble their way through the cheesy material: Dom DeLuise mugs it up atrociously as Marlo's prissy manager, Tony Curtis pours on the smarm as suave Russian bigwig Alexie Andreyev Karansky, Ringo Starr overacts up a histrionic storm as pompous director Laslo Karolny, Keith Moon minces for all it's worth as a flamboyantly swishy dress designer, and George Hamilton makes for a decidedly unconvincing mobster as the fearsome Vance Norton. Popping up in bit roles as themselves are such folks as Regis Philbin, George Raft, and Rona Barrett. However, it's the tremendously terrible song-and-dance numbers that truly kick this honey over the schlocky camp goalpost: West and Dalton do a deliciously dreadful duet on "Love Will Keep Us Together," DeLuise totally butchers "Honey Pie" by the Beatles, West croaks "Baby Face," and a cleaned-up Alice Cooper even belts out a disco tune (!). Moreover, it's downright grotesque to see and hear the aged West crack a steady stream of corny risqué one-liners to a room full of buff young hunks. Best of all, West is filmed through a hazy filter and seen almost exclusively in medium shots throughout this jaw-dropping fiasco. Still, one has to admire West for having the remarkable chutzpah to star in this feature at such an advanced age; she's clearly having a grand old time being naughty and gives this otherwise limp disaster a much-needed fierce kick in the pants. An absolute cruddy hoot.

This movie is unreviewable. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. So, let's talk about Timothy Dalton! I didn't know this was a musical, so when he started saying the lines to "Love Will Keep Us Together", I thought...weird, that's that song. Then the music came on, and I thought, "...no. No! NO! He is NOT going to...NO! NO!"It seems ironic that Timothy Dalton's career survived this, only to be derailed by Scarlett 16 years later. Another odd note to his career is the number of times he's played roles that spoof James Bond. Even before he actually made the Bond films. Besides this movie, there was a Charlie's Angels episode. Then, after Licence to Kill, he played a Nazi spy in The Rocketeer, a Bond-type actor in Loony Tunes: Back in Action, and then, a bad guy in Hot Fuzz, with Bond references in his last sequence. Hysterical.So that's five spoofs, versus two actual Bond movies. It's weird. This guy was meant to be Bond from the beginning -- Albert Broccoli was dying to have him -- but U.S. audiences didn't get it, and lawsuits prevented him from doing the role again while he was in his prime. What does it mean? And then he did Scarlett, in which he held a plastic bag over the head of his career. He appears to have issues with James Bond.But back to this movie. I used to be a Sean Pertwee fan, and he made some truly gross films. But none of his dismemberments can compare to Timothy Dalton singing The Captain and Tenille. The humanity.This movie did hold my interest. I don't want to think about why.

I rented this movie and I really enjoyed it a lot! Why? Well mostly because I love movies and I am familiar with Mae West I guess. I think I have seen all her movies starting from her classics in the 30's and 40's on up.This was her last movie and I think she did a fine job in this movie. I really enjoyed it and liked it a lot. I thought that Miss West did a fantastic job with this film. I was very astonished that she was so remarkably the same as she was during her heyday in the thirties. This was a star that is one of a kind and make no mistake—there will never be another like her again.As I watched this film, I was in a state of shock because it seemed as if time had stood still and there seemed to be no gap from the 30's and 40's and the time this film was made in the late 70's. When Mae does that Happy Birthday 21 number there is absolutely nostalgia and magic because it is poignant and amazing at the same time.Mae sure aged well, she still possessed all those Westian traits and characteristics and I have to say, I do not believe I have ever witnessed this before with any movie star. She was totally amazing to say the least.Oh yeah, I know all about the negative comments about this film, but all I have to say is this: How can anyone rate a movie fairly if they are hostile and determined to criticize? I have to say the negative comments concerning this movie do say practically the same tired old things, and no one can fairly evaluate a movie if they are hostile or have pre-conceived notions.I think this movie was meant for fans of Mae West, was meant for total camp, and I have to say that I was not disappointed! One cannot evaluate a movie is one is prejudiced regarding age, appearance or whatever. One cannot evaluate a movie honestly and objectively if one is prejudiced in any manner—especially if one is age-prejudiced or only concerned about appearances.Negative comments here reflect exactly what I am talking about. If one is prejudiced about age or appearance, then the comments one posts reflect this. As soon as I read comments about a movie that attack one's age or appearance, then I know that those comments have lost all credibility. I thought it was illegal to discriminate against one because of a person's age? Is that not true? Then why does IMDb allow these negative comments only based on age??? That is completely unfair to say the least! If one wants to criticize then fine—but do so without attacking a person personally because of age, appearance, etc.! It is unfair, unthinking, and unfeeling to attack only because of one's age! I think that reveals so very much about a commentator too! Take it from there!!! This movie is far better than some people give it credit for. One must put aside pre-conceived notions and look at a film with non-prejudiced eyes to fairly evaluate a film. I have to say I thought this film was really perky, really good, and possesses a truly campy element. It is funny! It is good-natured! And most importantly—it is harmless!!! Of course I am not prejudiced in any way and I am also very open-minded so this reflects my comments.What is the matter with some of these "critics" that overly criticize? As soon as you read the attacks on Miss West's abilities, appearance, and age, then you know right away that those comments are without merit.I just can't believe that some people are so absolutely heartless to say some of the very, very negative comments I have read here. I would say, why did those like that watch this movie to begin with? I think the answer is because those people want to criticize and have something very lacking in their own personalities and qualities. If a person wants to comment negatively, then that person should, but they should also not attack a person personally because then the comments they make lose all credibility.No worse than lots and lots of films! It is also not an Academy Award winner, but maybe it should have been for effort!!!!! I give it as big 10 for Mae still doing what she always did best, and that is just basically being her sexy, amazing self!!!! Still love you great Mae!